Once you've chosen an area, a travel guide can help you with everyday things like hotels, restaurants, and maps (route) and more in-depth things like what to do and see, special events, quick facts about the area, and history. You'll be supplied with phone numbers, addresses and websites for the various places available to visit. Be prepared for this summer's dream trip!

Visit Detroit Lakes Library and check out our travel guide section, which includes the following books:

- Tough Times, Great Travels: The Travel Detective's Guide to Hidden Deals, Unadvertised Bargains, and Great Experiences, by Peter Greenberg. Get the best travel deals during the worst of financial times! With airlines cutting service, hotel rates soaring, and one of the most unstable economies this country has seen, the thought of taking a trip might seem out of reach.

But in Tough Times, Great Travels, the Travel Detective, Peter Greenberg, lets you in on money-saving secrets like: the best day to purchase airline tickets, car rental companies almost willing to pay you to rent their cars, the best hour on the best day to book a hotel room, free activities in 30 cities, cruise ships that discount cabins on the day of the cruise, how to redeem airline miles for flights that are supposedly full, avoiding luggage check-in fees and places where kids can eat and stay for free.

Traveling during an economic meltdown shouldn't result in a personal one for you. With Greenberg's help, you can get packing while the market is crashing.

- The Travel Mom's Ultimate Book of Family Travel: Planning, Surviving and Enjoying Your Vacation Together, by Emily Kaufman. A vacation has the special power to bring a family closer together-- breaking away from familiar routines, allowing time to enjoy each others' company, and experiencing the world together. All it takes is the right mindset and some planning. The Travel Mom shows you how.

In one invaluable guide, you'll get a host of ideas for some of the most popular options in family travel--from cruises and all-inclusive resorts to RV camping and extended-family reunions. The Travel Mom also tackles the sticky realities of family vacations. In a warm, mom-to-mom tone, she gives you tricks and tips you'll appreciate from the first rainy day, missed flight, or scary look at the travel budget.

Simple strategies like packing a customized "boredom bag" with snacks and games can save a long road trip. And her off-the-beaten-track and off-season suggestions are unbeatable to keep things interesting and affordable.

- Ultimate Adventures: A Rough Guide to Adventure Travel, by Greg Witt. This book features adventures for all travelers, including "soft" experiences for those testing their bravery levels and extreme adventures for adrenalin junkies, each rated by physical, psychological, skill and wow factor! Whether your appetite for adrenalin takes you to arctic freezes, ocean depths or sweltering deserts, this book will tell you the how, why and when to plan your ultimate adventure.

Greg Witt, experienced tour leader and trekker extraordinaire Greg Witt brings cultural sensitivity and humor, as well as concise practical information. The guide is packed with maps & safety advice and includes information on all the best local guides. Make the most of your time on Earth with this spectacular foray into world adventures.

The Detroit Lakes Library is open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed on Sundays.

For more information on library services and programs, please call 218-847-2168 or visit your library at 1000 Washington Ave. The Detroit Lakes Library is a branch of Lake Agassiz Regional Library (LARL). Information about LARL services is available online at www.larl.org.